•Been guarded or defensive when questioned about your interaction or relationship with a patient

•Accepted gifts, letters or phone calls from a patient after he or she was discharged

•Chosen sides with a patient against family members

•Flirted with a patient

Preventing sexual misconduct

Be aware of any sexual attraction you have toward a patient.

Discuss your feelings with a trusted supervisor or colleague.

Transfer the care of the patient to another nurse

Learn to recognize signs that a patient may be interested in forming a sexual relationship.

Establishing professional boundaries is your responsibility.

Respect patient dignity and privacy at all times.

Provide a professional explanation for all aspects of care.

Maintain clear, appropriate, and professional communication with patients.

Don’t discuss your personal problems or any aspect of your intimate life with patients.

Document and report observations of inappropriate behavior to supervisor and to state regulatory agency if necessary.

Legal implications of medical records

–Medical records are evidence in legal actions!

–Medical records are considered highly credible and are given great weight in legal proceedings. –“Assessments should be documented objectively, indicating facts, observations, patient’s statements, and other measurable criteria.

–Subjective documentation should be avoided, because it states the writer’s conclusions without supporting facts and it allows a third party (such as attorney) to suggest any number of scenarios to clarify the subjective documentation.”

Good Samaritan Statutes

Provide immunity for acts that might otherwise result in a claim of negligence when acts occur outside your place of employment.

Good Samaritan statutes were written with the hope that you will act.

Individuals who perform rescue as part of their job are legally responsible to help.